Friday, July 7, 2017

7-7-17 Porch pasta inspired by Tony Del Pozzo

My father’s cousin, Angelina Renzulli, came to America in
the late 1950s and married Tony Del Pozzo, whose family had a restaurant in
NYC.Tony and Angelina visited my
parents when they were living on our farm in Maryland, and Tony prepared a
pasta dish with eggplants and mozzarella that Patience and I have never
forgotten. Tonight’s pasta is a pale second to Tony’s, but it was his creation
that inspired it.

My original plan was to combine mushrooms and Japanese
eggplants for the garden.But
Patience reminded me we had some greens in the fridge that had to be used, so
they were added to the mix.

INGREDIENTS:

1.Linguine – I usually cook 3-4 oz. for the two of
us

2.Small button mushrooms

3.Japanese eggplants – cut into long strips

4.Beet greens and red Chard coarsely chopped

5.Olive oil

6.Fresh tarragon

7.Onion and garlic

8.Sweet Vermouth

9.Toasted Panko

10.Mozzarella
cut into thin strips

PROCESS:

Cook the onion and garlic in oil until soft, then add the
mushrooms and eggplant and cook uncovered over med-low heat.After several minutes add a splash of
sweet vermouth, the tarragon, and cook covered over low heat.Add the greens about 10-15 minutes
before the pasta is ready.

When the pasta is done, add it to the sauce, along with the
panko, some pasta water, and the cheese, and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

COMMENTS:

This was not as good as Tony’s, but I never expected it to
be.Patience suggested I use basil
instead of tarragon the next time I try this.I give an 8/10.